Among the first species domesticated by the ever enterprising human race are horses. They have been so for at least four thousand years before the common era. And now, fast forward to a couple thousand more years, theyre still very much useful and endearing to people the whole world over. They are quintessential in many operations unique to the human enterprise, from sports, work, hobbies, to simple pet owning and caring. It is therefore imperative to look out for certain diseases and conditions that impinge on the health and well being or our quintessential helpmates, such as navicular disease in horses.
The navicular bone is a canoe shaped structure located inside the middle of a horses hoof, at the back of the coffin bone and pastern bone. The related disease, which is also called caudal heel pain syndrome, involves the inflammation and degeneration of this particular bone and its surrounding tissues. Its more commonly occurring on the forelegs rather than the rear.
And for obvious reasons. After all, it will serve to lower a horses usefulness, especially when its a racehorse or a draft animal. A horse that can no longer work or else do what its trained for is essentially an animal without pecuniary value, at least when business is the nub of the matter.
Much intuitively, the repeated compression of this bone is a leading contributing factor in cartilage degeneration. The flattening of the cartilage causes it to be less shock absorbing and springy. Its continued abuse would lead to navicular disease in the long term.
Also, when other animals become lame, like a dog or cat for example, theyre usually perfectly able to transfer their weight on their other limbs. For humans as well, its not a problem to append a remaining leg with prosthetics or some such. These solutions, however, are not at all applicable to our equine friends in general.
Its therefore not such a viable option to do surgeries or amputations. This is the selfsame reason why one doesnt see three legged horses just about anywhere. For intuitive reasons, prosthetics are also not the nifty solution it is for small animals such as cats and dogs. Anyway, the leg movements of their equine counterparts are so intricate and precise, and you can imagine the difficulty of reproducing a leg with all the specifications.
Since there is no pinpointed single cause, there is also no umbrella treatment for this disease. One would have to look for ways to manage the condition rather than cure it. Proper trimming and therapeutic shoeing can do the trick, as it provides visible relief to our equine friends. The former is pitched by those who believe that being barefoot is naturally designed as a blood pumping auxiliary so as to aid blood circulation in the lower extremities, that is, the legs. Corrective shoeing, on the other hand, uses a shoe that lifts and supports the heel.
Anyway, down to the nitty gritty details. Equine experts are still not able to account for the cause of the onset of this disease. It seemingly springs from nowhere and develops slowly but surely. However, it is much more prevalent in warm blooded horses, the equestrian jargon that subsumes racehorses as opposed to workhorses. Also, it is much more observed in heavy animals and those with irregular configurations in their hooves, such that if theyre irregularly shaped, have little hoof to weight ration, or so and so.
In a chronic disease with no known causes and yet no proffered treatment, it would serve horse owners and lovers to act with utmost circumspection. It would do to be the responsible owner of a lame horse by employing recourses and techniques that would take no genius to contrive. For example, less work and more rest. Theres also the right apportioning of food, since obesity would not bode well for a sensitive hoof thats nevertheless supporting weight. All in all, common sense is the operative word here.
The navicular bone is a canoe shaped structure located inside the middle of a horses hoof, at the back of the coffin bone and pastern bone. The related disease, which is also called caudal heel pain syndrome, involves the inflammation and degeneration of this particular bone and its surrounding tissues. Its more commonly occurring on the forelegs rather than the rear.
And for obvious reasons. After all, it will serve to lower a horses usefulness, especially when its a racehorse or a draft animal. A horse that can no longer work or else do what its trained for is essentially an animal without pecuniary value, at least when business is the nub of the matter.
Much intuitively, the repeated compression of this bone is a leading contributing factor in cartilage degeneration. The flattening of the cartilage causes it to be less shock absorbing and springy. Its continued abuse would lead to navicular disease in the long term.
Also, when other animals become lame, like a dog or cat for example, theyre usually perfectly able to transfer their weight on their other limbs. For humans as well, its not a problem to append a remaining leg with prosthetics or some such. These solutions, however, are not at all applicable to our equine friends in general.
Its therefore not such a viable option to do surgeries or amputations. This is the selfsame reason why one doesnt see three legged horses just about anywhere. For intuitive reasons, prosthetics are also not the nifty solution it is for small animals such as cats and dogs. Anyway, the leg movements of their equine counterparts are so intricate and precise, and you can imagine the difficulty of reproducing a leg with all the specifications.
Since there is no pinpointed single cause, there is also no umbrella treatment for this disease. One would have to look for ways to manage the condition rather than cure it. Proper trimming and therapeutic shoeing can do the trick, as it provides visible relief to our equine friends. The former is pitched by those who believe that being barefoot is naturally designed as a blood pumping auxiliary so as to aid blood circulation in the lower extremities, that is, the legs. Corrective shoeing, on the other hand, uses a shoe that lifts and supports the heel.
Anyway, down to the nitty gritty details. Equine experts are still not able to account for the cause of the onset of this disease. It seemingly springs from nowhere and develops slowly but surely. However, it is much more prevalent in warm blooded horses, the equestrian jargon that subsumes racehorses as opposed to workhorses. Also, it is much more observed in heavy animals and those with irregular configurations in their hooves, such that if theyre irregularly shaped, have little hoof to weight ration, or so and so.
In a chronic disease with no known causes and yet no proffered treatment, it would serve horse owners and lovers to act with utmost circumspection. It would do to be the responsible owner of a lame horse by employing recourses and techniques that would take no genius to contrive. For example, less work and more rest. Theres also the right apportioning of food, since obesity would not bode well for a sensitive hoof thats nevertheless supporting weight. All in all, common sense is the operative word here.
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